Category: sweet treats

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#foodie Chinese Culture feelings My San Francisco Chronicles sweet treats

Clement.

Whenever I walk along Clement Street, I find myself peaking into the Asian bakeries and grocery stores there. I look inside to see the familiar yet foreign things I have grown up with–the Chinese baked goods of buns, egg tarts, red bean paste anything, etc.

Looking at the food, I feel nostalgic for some reason. Despite the fact that I didn’t grow up with these shops near my childhood home, for some reason, I feel “at home” with these shops anyway. They evoke an emotion within me, of the fact that yes, I am indeed a Chinese person.

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#foodie health My San Francisco Chronicles stores sweet treats

Penguino’s Gourtmet Yogurt

Found Penguino’s Gourmet Yogurt inside of the Metreon Building today while exploring the area with my siblings. The place intrigued me enough to lure me in to try some of their frozen yogurt.

I tried the soft-served frozen yogurt in the natural flavor with chocolate chip cookie dough on top. The other flavor option was mango, but I figured with the cookie dough topping that the mango would not go so well.

It was decent frozen yogurt, but I felt a little unfulfilled after eating it. I remember reading on Sparkpeople before that frozen yogurt is actually not too healthy for people. Sure, perhaps it’s lower in fat/calories than regular ice cream, but in terms of nutrients/probiotics/etc. it provides (as opposed to regular, non-frozen yogurt), the frozen yogurt doesn’t provide any of the bacteria cultures.

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My San Francisco Chronicles sweet treats

Gelato, my love.

Every time I eat gelato I feel happy; the sweet creamy texture, the density…Italian “ice cream” probably trumps all other kinds of ice cream out there.

So far in San Francisco, I have only tried gelato from Naia and from Yoogo Gelato. Naia is closer to my apartment, and they have the standard “American” flavors of chocolate, strawberry, et. al., with a few other interesting flavors. I haven’t been to this gelataria in awhile, so I don’t remember what all they do carry.

Today, my siblings and I went to Yoogo Gelato, which I had noticed many times before but never had the chance to venture in and check it out. I got word from an acquaintance that Yoogo Gelato sells some Asian/non-standard flavors, so my interest in the shop was piqued. I was reminded of the time that I ate gelato in Tokyo, and remembered how much I enjoyed eating the kurotaro (Black Sesame) and matcha (Green Tea) gelato flavors.

I was happy to see that Yoogo Gelato had both flavors; they had large waffle cones to hold the gelato in, and the Black Sesam definitely did not disappoint. My siblings got Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter as their flavors; we all felt satisfied after our little sugar venture.

Perhaps I should start a quest on finding the best gelato in San Francisco as well; I guess I am becoming quite the foodie in my obsession with food, especially sweets.

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#foodie My San Francisco Chronicles restaurant sweet treats

Indian Ice Cream?

While walking in the Mission today, my sister and I stumbled upon Bombay Ice Creamery, a little ice cream shop situated beside an Indian/ethnic grocery store. At first we were in a bit of disbelief over Indian ice cream, but nevertheless we went in to poke around the shop a bit.

There were some standard flavors (Chocolate, vanilla, etc.), but there were also very exotic flavors such as lassi and Indian food-inspired flavors. At the moment, I can’t name many of the flavors off the top of my head, but I know I wanted to try some. Unfortunately, my sister and I had some huge burritos (at El Buen Sabor), and she advised that it probably was not wise to mix Mexican fare with Indian desserts.

So very true, so very true. Next time, Bombay, next time.

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#amreading #foodie health My San Francisco Chronicles sweet treats

Hungry Girl in San Francisco.

Today after work I managed to go see Hungry Girl aka Lisa Lillien give a talk and sign her new book at Borders in Union Square. I don’t remember how long I have been following her newsletters, but every time I receive them I feel like I’m more well-informed on certain foods. The swap recipes make me realize how really unhealthy most average sweets/general foods are in terms of fat content and calories. Insanity…

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the whole session due to work ending around 7pm. Still, I was able to grab some free samples/coupons and get my book signed by Lillien. A great way to end a long 10-hour workday, indeed!